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C   H   I   N   A.
A
Ltho' the Extent and Opulency of the Country,
and the Politenefs of its Inhabitants, be fuffi-
cient to have made China renown'd throughout
the Earth a Thoufand Years ago ; yet, whether
{he unpayable Mountains, and barren Sands, which are
iàid to bound it towards India, or the Cuitom of the
People, of whom 'tis reported, that they either never ad-
mi tted.Çlrangexs. among them, or elfe never permitted them
to.Axtufn>; br whether the extream Diftance only may rie
the Caufe, that the reft of the World were wholly unacquainted with it ; but fo it is, that till within 200 Years
paft, that the Improvement of Navigation carry'd European Ships round the Globe, the reft of Mankind knew
little or nothing of China. 'Tis true, Paulus Venetus's
Account of Camhah^ (which, as we have elfewhere faid,
was in all Probability Pekin) and his mighty Character of
the Cham and his Subjects, may be now apply'd to China ;
fcut fince at that Time it was underftood of Tartary only
we may ftill fay, that till the lortugueze difcover'd and
traded to this Country by Sea, the other Nations of the
World were quite ignorant of it. But as the fudden
Appearance of a great Light even blinds our Eyes with
its Luftre ; fo the unexpected Difcovery of fo polite a
Nation, which had receiv'd no Inftrudtion from its Neighbours, fo dazled the Underftandings of the firft Vifi-
tants, that the Stories they brought us were more like
Romances than Truths : And till the Zeal of the Romift
Church ftirred up its Miffionaries to preach the Faith
there, we were ftill ignorant of the true State of that
Empire.
Since
J